Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

I made this casserole a few weeks ago because it was voted Casserole of the year by Taste of Home Magazine. Plus lets be honest, I never met a Mexican dish I didn't love! This casserole certainly did not disappoint and the best part it was so simple to put together. If you are a Vegetarian I think this would be great without meat and you could just add another type of beans or an additional veggie. I also think it would be great with ground turkey or shredded chicken if you don't like red meat. It was cheesy and filled with so many great flavors! I love making casseroles because I can make them earlier that day and then just pop them in the oven. I usually make them during nap time and then I have more time to spend with Sterling and Matt when he gets home (and more time to sit and sip my glass of wine). I highly recommend this, it was super tasty!

I promise it tastes better than my sad picture looks, but wanted to show you our "real life" picture of the casserole.


CHEESY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Ingredients
•1 pound lean ground beef ( lean)
•1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion
•2 1/2 cups salsa
•1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
•1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
•2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
•1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
•6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)
•1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn
•3/4 cup sour cream
•2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese
•1 cup shredded lettuce
•1 medium tomato, chopped
•1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro to garnish
• *Note: I cut the flour tortillas to fit my pan, since they were the very large size. I also added in a can of refried beans to the mix because I love refried beans. It is not in the original recipe but I thought it worked perfectly.

Directions
•In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
•Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
•Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
•Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
•The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
•Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings

Top Two Photos and Recipe VIA

Obsessions

I am so glad everyone is still digging the Obsessions posts because I sure do love writing them!

AQUA CANYON IKAT TIERED MAXI DRESS
Obsessed with this dress and even more so with the price tag. It is only $118, such a steal for a cute maxi dress. Pretty sure she will be mine soon!

HOUSE OF HARLOW JEWELRY
So of course I had heard of Nicole Ritchie's jewelry line but I had never seen it in person. While I was in Charlotte we stopped in Nordtroms where they had a display set up of her jewelry. I loved every piece I tried on. The jewelry was made so well and even more beautiful in person. I thought it looked like it should cost alot more than it did! My two favorites pictured below. They both come in black as well but I was really digging the neutral color.
Station Leather Necklace

Double Sunburst Pendant

34 DEGREES CRISPBREAD
I am so hooked on these crackers. They’re the thinnest, crispiest cracker around, and they’re baked with no added oil. I bought the multi-grain kind and it is made with only 3 ingredients, so you know they are good for you. One serving of 34° Crispbread is 9 crackers and that is only 35 calories and 0 grams of fat. Seriously go pick up a box of these. I found mine at Costco but I have seen them at Earthfare as well. They pair perfectly with my cheese and wine in the afternoon!

DVF KLEE TOE FLATS
I am in love with these shoes in a major way. They are the perfect nude color with a hint of hot pink.

ALMOND MILK
I have to admit I switched to Almond Milk after I heard Gwyneth say that she drank it. I know alot of regular diary and milk are laden with hormones and Almond milk is not. There is no cholesterol, lactose, or animal products in Almond Milk. It is so good I may not switch back to regular milk. The Silk brand is what I tried and love.

TRADER JOES WILD MUSHROOM AND BLACK TRUFFLE PIZZA
This is the pizza I blogged out yesterday. It is so darn good. You must try this if you love Truffles. You can really taste the flavor in the pizza. I think mushrooms and truffles are quite possibly the perfect combo. I do recommend adding extra cheese.

Scenes From Our Weekend

Happy Monday Dolls! Several of you asked what Marshalls I shop at when I am in Charlotte, it's the one at Cotswold. We always go to that one because it gets in pretty good brands (ie. Vince, See by Chloe, Paige, J Brand, Marc Jacobs, Prada- just a few they have right now). You still have to dig but you can find some great stuff there.

We had a good weekend, but they sure do go by fast! Here's what went down:

I ended up staying in Charlotte til Saturday. I decided to stay and meet one of my oldest friends for a drink Friday night. Here is what I wore:

Tory Burch Cardigan, Micheal Stars Tank Top, Seven "The Skinny" Jeans, Halston Flats.

Got new lamps for our dining room buffet and a new Lucite chair for our desk. Thank you Mom for the lamps and thank you TJMaxx for the amazing Lucite chair.

We took Sterling on his first bike ride and he absolutely loved it!! Anyone know where we can find a cute kids Helmet? We just took him for a slow spin around the block because we couldn't find a Helmet.

My mother-in-law gave me the most gorgeous Oscar De La Renta Coffee table book. I love it so much!

The tulips the hubs gave me for Valentines that we planted finally bloomed this week- look how pretty!

Tried the best flatbread ever from Trader Joes, Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle. This will be eaten on a regular basis around here (although I did add more cheese to ours, I love ALOT of cheese).

We cooked one of my all time favorite side dishes to go with our Burgers, Confetti Corn. See Recipe Here. I added fresh Swiss Chard from our garden and it was the perfect addition!

Lastly I am guesting posting over at Sam's gorgeous blog "The Peak of Tres Chic" about my Monday Inspirations!

Check out my post HERE! Sam's blog is a must read if you havn't visited it before!

Thoughts For Friday

First of all, thank you so much for all the feedback and kind words yesterday. You ladies made me feel so loved and made my day! I am so happy so many of you enjoy reading my blog everyday!! I am getting ready to work on some more day to day posts and my question and answer post so stay tuned! I am glad you like what I putting out there, makes me so happy!

This week Matt and I ate lunch at a place called the Tattooed Moose. We saw it on Diners, Drive-in and Dives (told you we love that show) and knew we had to go. It is a little off the beaten path downtown on Morrison but worth the drive. The food was amazing. They have a great beer selection as well which we plan to go back on the weekend and enjoy. I had the Duck Confit Club which they touted as their favorite sandwich on the show. It did not disappoint it was mouth watering good. Filled with fresh duck, bacon, cheddar cheese and garlic aoli. They also cook their fries in duck fat (yep, I am serious and they are divine). Locals go here soon. For real I am still dreaming out our food.

Anybody catch GCB on Sunday night? I recorded it and watched it this week and loved it. New favorite Sunday night show. I love Lesile Bibb and Kristen Chenowenth. I think the cast is hilarious. Totally cheesy but I love it.

I really want this DVF dress. I found it on sale on Shopbop for 30 percent off but I wish it was more like 50% off. Somebody let me know if you see it for less than $200!

I headed home this week to visit my rents. I have been in a funk and sometimes getting out of town is just the thing I need to clear my head and cheer up. Totally worked, feeling so refreshed after some quality time with my mom! We hit up Marshalls while I was home and found some great stuff. My mom got these gorgeous Prada shoes (they didn't have my size- boo).

and I found these Paige brown skinny jeans and the perfect white Michael Stars Tank. I have a feeling a will be wearing both of these staples often! Oh, how I love Marshalls, you gotta dig thru some junk but you can find some great deals!

Two things I tried on and didn't pick up, for you Charlotte Readers- a stripped French Connection Dress and white silk Vince Blouse. Great buys. Somebody go buy them!

I am obsessed with the band The Head and The Heart. Look them up on ITunes and buy some songs, I promise you will love them!

Drank some delicious wine this week, Dry Creek Vineyards Zinfandel. For real this is one of the best reds I have had in a long time and I am not even a huge Zinfandel fan (although side note this is actually a Meritage) but this wine is excellent. A little out of my price range for nightly drinking at $30 a bottle but when I am at my parents I love to drink it up. Perfect for a special night!

And I got my first real pedicure since last summer! It is so hard to ever find time to get my nails done with a little one. I went with OPI You're a Pisa Work. The perfect transition color between Spring and Summer.

Have a great weekend friends! Thank you again for all the sweet words about my blog you know how to make a lady feel loved!! xoxo

Lay It On Me....

Happy Thursday Lovely Ladies!
Today I am looking for some feedback from you. I want to know what you enjoy reading on my blog. I feel like there are so many blogs out there and I want to be one you enjoy reading daily. I know I personally like blogs that are a mix of family, fashion, food, and interiors. That is what inspires me and makes me happy, so that is what I like to write about. I like "real life" blogs where people show me a sneak peek into their lives. That is why I often show pictures of things we did over the weekend etc. I love seeing how other people live and spend their time.

I have gotten pretty comfortable with my standard line-up of Monday being Weekend Happenings/Random, Tuesday- Obsessions, Wednesday- Recipes, Thursday- Fashion/Interiors, Friday- Random Thoughts. But is this working or am I in a rut?
Are the Obsessions posts getting old or do you still enjoy them? Same with the Recipes and Random Thoughts. Are you sick of seeing pictures of my family (be honest)? Basically I want to know your favorite thing to read on my blog and what you would like to see more or less of. I love writing this blog and your comments make my day, seriously! I am so honored that you guys read and actually respond to things I write. You see I majored in Journalism in College so this is my jam writing this blog. Spelling and grammar however are so not my jam, so bear with my grammatical errors. I may or may not have failed the Spelling and Grammar Test 7 times in College, but hey that is what computers and spell check are for these days! Blogging makes me so happy and I look forward to doing it each and everyday as well as reading your blogs. I feel like I have made so many "virtual" friends through this crazy blogging world and I love you all and treasure your friendships. I get excited each morning to read your blogs and see what you write on mine! Being a stay at Home Mom= long ass days alot of the time and blogging helps keep me creative and sane.

A reader emailed me and asked if I would do a questions and answers post about myself which I am working on. She said she wanted to know more about me and my daily life and life preblog etc. So if you have any questions you want me to answer for this post shoot them my way and I will add them in.

So lay it on me ladies. Share what you love/hate want to see more of! I want to make this blog even better! I appreciate each and everyone of your feedbacks. xoxo
(and if you actually read this whole post- you rock because I can be kind of wordy at times)!

Brie, Apple, and Arugula Quesadilla

Get ready for your new favorite spin on quesadillas. I made these quesadillas for lunch last week and they were amazing. The perfect combo of flavors and so easy to toss together. It also made me feel healthy because mixed in with all that gooey cheese was a fruit and vegetable! I highly recommend!

BRIE, APPLE, AND ARUGULA QUESADILLAS

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3 10 inch flour tortillas
6 ounces Brie cheese rind removed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 Fuji Apple cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 cups Arugula divided
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparation
Combine mustard and cider in a small bowl; stir well.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread each tortilla with about 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard mixture. Place 1 tortilla, mustard side up, in pan. Arrange one-third of cheese slices over half of tortilla; cook 1 minute or until cheese begins to melt. Arrange one-third of apple slices over cheese; top with 1 cup arugula. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Fold tortilla in half; press gently with a spatula. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure twice with remaining 2 tortillas, cheese, apple slices, 2 cups arugula, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.

Recipe via Cooking Light

Obsessions

LOREN HOPE JEWELRY
I am sure you have seen some pictures of Loren's necklaces floating around Pinterest and the blog land. Well I am officially obsessed. Here are three of my favorites. Check out her whole shop HERE it is filled with lots of beauties.

PIM AND LARKIN FLORAL BLAZER
I am all about the floral trend this Spring. I am really digging this blazer. It looks so cute with the colored jeans and shorts. I bet it would even be cute over a dress. And the best part, its super affordable, only $79!

SCHUG CHARDONNAY

I picked up a bottle of this Chardonnay at Costco and it knocked my socks. It was one of the smoothest Chardonnays I have ever had. Not sure what it retails for elsewhere but it is $16 at Costco. A great buy!

OFF THE MENU COOKBOOK
I recently got this cookbook and love it. It is filled with staff favorite recipes from restaurants across the US. A few I can't wait to make: Brown Sugar and Bacon Cookies, Tuscan Kale Salad, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and Ground Beef Tostadas. The book is also filled with gorgeous pictures of the food and a question and answer section about each chef. A fabulous cookbook!

HEIDI MERRICK HUNTINGTON DRESS

This dress is just so "me". The style, the colors, the fit. The price tag not so much, but I am stalking it on Shopbop and as soon as it goes on sale I am buying this dress. I see myself wearing her all the time. I can't decide which color I like better though!